1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to stovetop splashguards and, more specifically, to a stove burner shield having a substantially horizontal framework to secure the apparatus to the stove, pivotable panels attached to the framework to cover the stove burners when not in use that swing open to expose the burners when needed with at least one panel that can be retained in a vertical position to act as a splashguard, and a pivoting control knob protective cover that restricts access to the control knobs when the invention is not in use and swings up to function as a splashguard when in use. The rear panel covers both rear burners and pivots away from the center of the stovetop and locks into place in a substantially vertical position to act as a splashguard against hot oil, grease, or other such elements that might splatter and make a mess. The control knob protective cover could be locked into the closed down position to prevent a child from turning the knobs. The control knob protective cover can also pivot vertically upright and locked to serve as a splashguard against splattering which could make a mess and present a danger to someone in the vicinity of the stove, particularly a child. When locked in the splashguard position the control knob protective cover also acts as a safety barrier to restrict access to the burner area and prevents pots or pans from accidentally sliding or falling off the front area of the stove where injuries are most likely to occur.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other splashguard devices designed for stovetops. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 2,390,234 issued to Milton Applebaum on May 31 1943.
Another patent was issued to Conrad P. Ehrlich et al. on May 21 1985, as U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,955. U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,928 was issued to Dan Lewis et. al. on Aug. 20, 1996. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,667 was issued to Patricia M. Seeley et. al. on Apr. 1 1997 and still yet another was issued on Jun. 2 1998 to Victor Burimas as U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,636.
A gas stove, the combination with a plurality of burners having manually operable valves controlling the delivery of fuel to the individual burners, valve handles movable through a ninety degree arc and designed to open said valves when in the horizontal position and to close said valves when in vertical position, a cover and burner control attachment unit, said unit being in its entirety pivotally mounted at the rear of said gas stove and being movable between open and closed positions relative to said burners, a locking bar being attached to and being horizontally slidably mounted in said cover and comprising cam means positioned in spaced-apart relation and in alignment with said valve handles, said bar having openings permitting surface portion on said cams to engage with said handles to cause movement of said handles downwardly, said bar having additional means which engage portions of the valves when the locking bar is horizontally slid on the cover after the cover is in the closed position, said cover and burner control attachment being actuated externally of said stove, and latch means engagable within said cover to retain said cam means in alignment with said valve handles and to retain said additional means in engagement with said valve portions to thereby lock said bar and said cover to said stove.
A barrier system for the top of a range along one or more sides thereof comprising for each side a barrier member, a support for detachably attaching the barrier member to interengageable hinge elements on the support and barrier member supporting the barrier member for rotation about an axis parallel to the side of the range to which the barrier member is attached, and interengageable latch members interengageable by rotation of the barrier member to a perpendicular position to lock the barrier member in said perpendicular position and manually disengageable to release the barrier member to permit it to be rotated to a substantially horizontal position.
A stove-mounted grease splatter guard made of a flexible plastic or glass protection portion which attaches to a range via a base portion. The protection portion extends outwardly from the range at an obtuse angle and prevents children from reaching a top surface of the stove. The protection portion also aids in preventing splattering grease from striking the children or reaching the floor on which the stove rests. The base portion is connected to the range with a magnet and hook-and-loop fastener combination.
A substantially U-shaped guard that is attached to pivots that are mounted on the side of the stove. The pivots allow the guard to be moved quickly into or out of position and are detachably secured to the guard so the guard could be removed for cleaning.
The present invention provides for a guard for surrounding the exposed perimeter of the top of a domestic stove. The guard is releasably attached to the stove top such that when it is attached to the stove it securely encloses the burners and pots resting on the burners. The guard prevents the passage of a finger through the guard such that a person is prevented from contacting the burner or pots on the stove when the guard is attached to the stove.
While these stovetop splashguards may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described.
The present invention discloses a stove burner shield having multiple panels hingedly mounted onto a substantially horizontal frame which is mounted onto a stove top by using fasteners mounted onto downwardly extending flanges spaced apart about the frame. When in a raised position, the rear panel and control knob panel act as splash guards. When lowered, the rear panel covers the rear stove burners and the control knob panel covers the control knobs. The control knob panel has a release button by means of which it is opened. A hingedly mounted right and left panel are also provided for covering the front stove burners.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a stove burner shield apparatus to cover stovetop burners having panels to protect the burners when not in use that are pivotally attached to a frame that is removably secured to a stovetop.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a stove burner shield with pivoting panels wherein the panels cover the burners when in the inoperative horizontal position and selectively pivot to expose the burners that are to be used.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a stove burner shield with pivoting panels having a semi-cylindrical control knob protective cover that is pivotally connected longitudinally to the anterior edge of the framework in a manner and configuration that will allow the control knob protective cover to encompass the control knobs when in the down position thereby restricting access and inadvertent activation of the burners by a child or through incidental contact.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a stove burner shield with pivoting panels having a control knob protective cover that can be locked into position to prevent access to the control knobs.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a stove burner shield with pivoting panels having a control knob protective cover that can swing upright and lock into place to form a splashguard to protect the user and the control knobs from splattering material.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a stove burner shield with pivoting panels having a control knob protective cover that when locked into place as a splashguard acts also as a barrier to restrict access to the burner area and to prevent pots and pans from sliding or falling off of the stovetop.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a stove burner shield with pivoting panels having a control knob protective cover that automatically locks once in the fully closed or fully open positions and must then be actively released prior to subsequent movement.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a stove burner shield with pivoting panels and control knob protective cover that is manufactured of a heat-resistant material with a non-stick surface.
Additional objects of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds.
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a stove burner shield that is removably secured to the stove and has pivoting panels with at least one panel functioning as a splashguard when in the open position and also having a control knob protective cover that must be actively released to expose the control knobs and acts as a splashguard/barrier when locked into the open position.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawings, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views.
The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.